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OPINION

On the eve of Trump's Arizona visit, Ducey agrees to reopen more of Arizona. Coincidence?

Opinion: Gov. Doug Ducey's decision to accelerate the reopening of Arizona's economy is a welcome one. But what changed in five days?

Gov. Doug Ducey speaks during a press conference about extending his statewide stay-at-home order on April 29, 2020, at the Arizona Commerce Authority Conference Center in Phoenix.(Photo: Sean Logan/The Republic)

The timing is, of course, entirely coincidental – based not on any desire to please a president who is desperate to reopen the economy but based solely, we are assured, on the requirements of public health.

Which apparently changed enough in just five days to warrant accelerating the reopening of Arizona.

Suspicious? Yes. Also welcome

Specifically, Ducey is allowing barbershops and hair and nail salons to reopen on Friday, May 8, and restaurants to reopen their dining rooms on Monday, May 11.

“Get your haircut, get something to eat and head home,” he said during a press conference on Monday. “That’s where it’s safest.”

Ducey’s sudden change of heart is suspicious but it’s also a welcome move.

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The goal of his March 30 stay-at-home order was never about living in quarantine until the virus has passed. It was about “flattening the curve” and slowing the rate of infection so that hospitals wouldn't be overrun and patients left to die as they struggle to breathe.

But state Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said last week that the state now has enough hospital capacity, equipment and ventilators to handle a surge in COVID-19 patients once the state ends its lockdown.

Lawmakers were fed the heck up

Even so, Ducey on April 29 announced he was extending his stay-at-home order to May 15 (though he did allow “non-essential” retail operations to gradually reopen this week).

Now, suddenly, five days later, it’s safe to get your hair cut and your nails done?

Ducey says he’s turning on a “green light” for phase one of the state’s reopening because of an increase in testing and a downward trajectory in the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus.

I suspect his sudden change of heart also has something to do with an upward trajectory in the percentage of Republican legislators and business leaders who are fed the heck up.

Meanwhile, Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, and Sen. Michele Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, have proposed that the Legislature strip Ducey of his authority to tell us what to do.

I stand in solidarity and continue to work to obtain the necessary votes to pass the resolution as soon as possible. We were told to wait and hear the good news from the Governor. My constituents cannot wait until May 11 and will be out of business permanently. #OpenAZNowhttps://t.co/oJCcEYpUqK